


Stories of the Second Self: Numbers and Names

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [87]
Category: National Guard - Fandom, Urban Fantasy - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22594189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: After two years of federal occupation, it was over and civilian government restored in most cities throughout Ohio. Paul Appelbaum, eager to resign his commission in the National Guard has one last day of office visits and forms to fill in order to process out. However, all is not well. Markings on the door of his post housing indicate that someone still considers Pentacaste supernaturals to be linked with the devil. Paul has delve deep into his character to know the best response to the new hate.
Series: Alter Idem [87]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Numbers and Names

It was over, Paul Appelbaum thought with relief. Federal occupation of the states was over. National Guard units were demobilized and their chain of command restored to states' governors and legislatures. Because his own role was a rather unorthodox recruitment, Paul was allowed to resign his officer's commission without too much fuss.

Though, many in the Guard and indeed the Defense Department expressed their letdown. Paul's unique skills combined with his thirteen foot, ten inch stature, made him a valued assets. However, that's what bothered Paul most; that he was an asset first and a person second. His civilian life beckoned for him to return.

"Bae," Yolanda said in low pitched voice, as she came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You doin' okay?"

Paul had been removing the top of Army Battle Uniforms from the dryer, because that only one idem could fit at a time and still dry in the small-scale machine. Shortly after being commissioned, the Ohio National Guard set him up with base housing hastily built without insulation. However cold the house got, even now in late winter, it never bothered Paul nor Yolanda.

Yolanda was among the civilian giants he met on base, and like him had been an academic. Yolanda dealt with social diversity, which was why she was contracted by the Guard to help integrate Pentacastes into the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team on the relocated post. The fact that she was black and Paul Jewish drew no extra stares whatsoever. Being giants made them stand out much more.

"Yeah," Paul turned around to look at her, and wrapped his arms around her waist as she draped hers over his shoulders.

Like Paul, her eyes and ears were disproportionately small, and they both had larger noses and more sloped foreheads. It led to assumptions about giant intelligence, despite the fact giants tended to demonstrate higher IQs than any other Pentacaste due to who they were before Alter Idem.

Never a big man before, or buff, Paul now had a bodybuilder's physique beneath his undershirt, as did Yolanda. Their arms were a bit longer relative to their height relative to little people but their legs were shorter. Shifting his high-arched feet, Paul swayed with Yolanda into a singular rhythm, as the pair smiled dreamily.

Then, a phone rang, much to Paul's consternation. "Damn."

"I'll get it," Yolanda assured him, and pat his chest. "You got to get dressed to process out."

"Yes ma'am," Paul cooed to his fiance, and started fold up his ABUs.

Next, Paul went to the bedroom and started dressing up. For the first time in many months, he was putting on civilian clothes. Returning to his military attire, Paul packed all that into a duffle bag huge for humans, but still a tight squeeze for all he had to shove into it.

After that, he gathered up a brown envelop, almost palm-sized to him, and slipped folders of his documentation into it. Aware of the recent weather, he put the envelop into a human-scale suitcase. Then, he headed for the door, where out of habit more than need, he put on a light coat and his gray flat cap, before opening the door.

Outside, Paul encountered a couple other people, including two giants, all staring at his house. Stepping out, Paul turned around to see the "666" painted in red on his door. Not even at hip level, Paul was fairly sure a giant didn't do it, especially with "Nephilim" right above it.

Shaking his head, Paul went back inside and to his desk. He rummaged through his draw until finding a felt tip marker and then went back outside. Closing the door, Paul then drew a pair of crossed lines over Nephilim and changed the middle six into a one. Underneath that, Paul added the Hebraic characters that the 616 numbers represented, to be followed by a translation into English that read "Emperor Nero Caesar."

Opening the door again, Paul tossed the marker onto the table by the door, and closed it again. Turning around, he saw one of the giants smirking at his edit, and a few of the shorter people visibly confused, before they all went about their business.

From there, Paul walked half a mile to the office on post that handled out-processing. He couldn't enter, and so stood outside to wait. A large table had been set up, but for Paul it meant kneeling to make use of it. Two military personnel and two civilians came out to sit opposite of where Paul knelt, as documents were passed over for him to sign.

"You sure, you want out?" the other captain asked.

"Yes I am," Paul answered, carefully signing his name with the minuscule pen. "Wasn't much for this life to begin with."

"Shame," the captain said, and added, "I know you turned down the Defense Intelligence Agency offer, but I've been directed to inform you that even the IDF has made a proposal that includes duel citizenship."

Paul waved that off without looking up from the document his pen strokes dabbed at. "Tell them I apologize for disappointing them."

"Fair enough," the other captain said, "I will pass the word along."

Through the course of several hours, Paul went from office to office turning in equipment, signing off on forms, and checking on the status of prior days' worth of work that went into processing him out of the Guard.

The last office, and the final document was where Paul hovered his pen over. There, he paused and memories of the last couple of years washed over him. The tree where magic power was just handed over to him, the chaos and subsequent ruin of Columbus, various interviews with other magically gifted individuals, sighting a unicorn in a tunnel, even the angelic girl Paul reunited with her family.

It was that last image, which warmed Paul inside, and he smiled. He'd made a positive difference, and on that note, deftly signed his name on the form before him.

"Alright sir," the sergeant announced, "And with that, you Mr. Paul Appelbaum, private civilian. How's it feel?"

"Dr., in fact," Paul corrected, and nodded. "Feels refreshing."


End file.
